Pattern forming method, processing method, and processing apparatus

ABSTRACT

According to the embodiments, a distribution of a recess portion shape is calculated based on a result obtained by measuring the recess portion shape of a first projection and recess pattern formed on a surface of a template. Next, a distribution of an application amount of a curing agent to a processing target layer is calculated based on the distribution of the recess portion shape, and the curing agent is applied to the processing target layer based on this distribution of the application amount of the curing agent. Next, a second projection and recess pattern is formed by transferring the first projection and recess pattern onto the curing agent by causing the curing agent to cure in a state where the first projection and recess pattern is in contact with the curing agent.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This applicationThis is a reissue of U.S. Pat. No. 8,420,422, issued onApr. 16, 2013 from U.S. patent application Ser. No. 13/041,917, which isbased upon and claims the benefit of priority from Japanese PatentApplication No. 2010-64916, filed on Mar. 19, 2010; the. The entirecontents of whichthe above-identified applications are incorporatedherein by reference.

FIELD

Embodiments described herein relate generally to a pattern formingmethod, a processing method, and a processing apparatus.

BACKGROUND

As a method of forming a fine structure in a manufacturing process of asemiconductor, a nanoimprint lithography (NIL) is used. The NIL is atechnology of transferring a pattern onto resist by bringing aunit-magnification template (hereinafter, template) on which a finepattern that is the same size as a feature size is formed by an electronbeam (EB) exposure or the like into contact with a process targetsubstrate to which the resist is applied.

In such pattern formation by the NIL, resist remains in a recess portion(corresponding to a projection portion of the template) of a resistpattern on the process target substrate. The film thickness of thisresidual portion of the resist is typically called Residual LayerThickness (RLT), which is an evaluation index of process stability inthe NIL.

After the NIL, a pattern is formed on the process target substrate byetching the process target substrate with the resist pattern formed bythe NIL as a mask. As above, because resist remains also in the recessportion of the resist pattern, an etching condition needs to bedetermined by taking it also into account. In other words, even if thedimension of the resist pattern is finished uniformly, the patterndimension of the processed process target substrate may vary due tovariation in RLT.

Moreover, in the NIL, a pattern formed on the template is transferredonto resist in the same size. Therefore, accuracy in pattern in thetemplate greatly affects variation in final feature size of the processtarget substrate. Illumination unevenness and effect of aberration alsoaffect the dimension variation in a shot in a normal photolithography inaddition to an error in a photomask dimension. However, in the NIL, itcan be said that most of the dimension variation in a shot is due to thedimension variation of the template.

On the other hand, a manufacturing accuracy is extremely severe in thetemplate for the NIL compared to a quadruple photomask used in thenormal photolithography. Typically, the photomask and the template aremanufactured by using an electron beam lithography. For example, when aline and space (L/S) of 50 nm pitch is needed on a wafer, an L/S patternof 200 nm pitch is manufactured on the quadruple photomask. However, onthe template for the NIL, an L/S pattern of 50 nm pitch that is the sameas an actual feature size is manufactured. Therefore, the manufacturingaccuracy is severe in the unit-magnification template for the NILcompared to the quadruple photomask, so that variation in patterndimension easily occurs.

As a technology to address a problem attributed to the dimensionvariation of the template, for example, Japanese Patent ApplicationLaid-open No. 2007-296783 proposes a method of applying resist so thatthe distance between a mold and a substrate in a pressing processbecomes uniform in accordance with the shape and the thicknessdistribution of the mold (template) and the process target substrate.With this method, it is possible to shorten the time required for thepressing process by preventing increase in pressing time attributed toflatness such as thickness, undulation, or the like of the mold and theprocess target substrate, so that throughput can be improved.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1A to FIG. 1F are cross-sectional views illustrating one example ofa manufacturing method of a template;

FIG. 2 is a diagram schematically illustrating one example of aconfiguration of a nanoimprint apparatus according to a firstembodiment;

FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating one example of distribution informationon a recess portion dimension in a pattern area surface in the firstembodiment;

FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating one example of a distribution of adroplet amount (application amount) of a photo-curing agent in one shotonto a processing target layer in the first embodiment;

FIG. 5A to FIG. 5F are cross-sectional views schematically illustratingan imprint method and a processing method using the nanoimprintapparatus according to the first embodiment;

FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating one example of distribution informationon a sidewall angle in a pattern area surface according to a secondembodiment;

FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating one example of a distribution of adroplet amount (application amount) of a photo-curing agent in one shotonto a processing target layer in the second embodiment;

FIG. 8A and FIG. 8B are schematic diagrams explaining a shape of aprojection and recess pattern on a template in the second embodiment;

FIG. 9A and FIG. 9B are cross-sectional views illustrating a state wherea resist pattern is formed on the processing target layer in the secondembodiment;

FIG. 10A and FIG. 10B are cross-sectional views illustrating an initialstage of an anisotropic etching to the processing target layer in thesecond embodiment;

FIG. 11 is a diagram schematically illustrating a flow of performing apattern formation of a process target substrate by an NIL using a mastertemplate and a replica template according to a third embodiment; and

FIG. 12 is a flowchart illustrating a flow of a feedback control usingshape distribution information (distribution information on a shapeparameter) on a template according to a fourth embodiment.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

In general, according to one embodiment, a distribution of a recessportion shape is calculated based on a result obtained by measuring therecess portion shape of a first projection and recess pattern formed ona surface of a template. Next, a distribution of an application amountof a curing agent to a processing target layer is calculated based onthe distribution of the recess portion shape, and the curing agent isapplied to the processing target layer based on this distribution of theapplication amount of the curing agent. Next, a second projection andrecess pattern is formed by transferring the first projection and recesspattern onto the curing agent by causing the curing agent to cure in astate where the first projection and recess pattern is in contact withthe curing agent.

It is found out through the study by the inventors that the technologyin Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2007-296783 is based on thepremise that a pattern is formed on the template with a uniformdimension and therefore cannot deal with the case where the patterndimension on the template varies, and thus variation in final featuresize due to the variation in pattern dimension on the template cannot beprevented.

A pattern forming method, a processing method, and a processingapparatus according to the embodiments will be explained below in detailwith reference to the accompanying drawings. The present invention isnot limited to these embodiments. In the following drawings, the scaleof each member is different from a realistic one in some cases for easyunderstanding. The same thing can be said between the drawings.

(First Embodiment)

In the following, a process of a nanoimprint lithography (NIL) accordingto the first embodiment is explained. First, a template substrate(hereinafter, template) used in the NIL is manufactured. FIG. 1A to FIG.1F are cross-sectional views illustrating one example of a manufacturingmethod of the template. First, a chrome (Cr) film 12 is formed on thewhole surface of, for example, an approximately rectangular quartzsubstrate 11 and resist 13 is applied to the chrome film 12 (FIG. 1A).

Next, an electron beam (EB) writing is performed on the resist 13 by anL/S pattern of, for example, 50 nm pitch, and thereafter a developmentprocess is performed. Consequently, an L/S resist pattern 13p of 50 nmpitch is formed on the chrome film 12 (FIG. 1B).

Next, an anisotropic etching is performed on the chrome film 12 with theresist pattern 13p as an etching mask (FIG. 1C), and thereafter theresist pattern 13p is stripped (FIG. 1D). Consequently, a Cr filmpattern 12p on which the pattern of the resist pattern 13p istransferred is formed on the quartz substrate 11.

Next, the anisotropic etching is performed on the quartz substrate 11with the Cr film pattern 12p as an etching mask. Consequently, an L/Sprojection and recess pattern 11p of 50 nm pitch on which the pattern ofthe Cr film pattern 12p is transferred is formed on the surface of thequartz substrate 11 (FIG. 1E).

Next, after stripping the Cr film pattern 12p, an outside area of apattern area PA in which the pattern of the projection and recesspattern 11p is formed is engraved on one surface side of the quartzsubstrate 11, whereby a template 10 for nanoimprint is completed (FIG.1F). FIG. 1A to FIG. 15 illustrate part of the pattern area PA in FIG.1F in an enlarged manner.

FIG. 2 is a diagram schematically illustrating one example of aconfiguration of a nanoimprint apparatus according to the firstembodiment. As shown in FIG. 2, a nanoimprint apparatus 101 according tothe first embodiment includes a nanoimprint mechanism 102, a controlunit 103, an input unit 104, an output unit 105, a measuring unit 106, adistribution calculating unit 107, and an application-amount calculatingunit 108. The nanoimprint apparatus 101 is a nanoimprint apparatus inwhich template conveying, substrate conveying, alignment, transfer, andthe like are automated for improving accuracy in a series of operationsin microfabrication in a semiconductor manufacturing process.

The nanoimprint mechanism 102 performs a pattern transfer onto asubstrate 21 that is a sample by the nanoimprint technology using thetemplate 10. The nanoimprint mechanism 102 includes a light source 110,the template 10, template holding units 112, lift mechanisms 113, asubstrate holding unit 115, a substrate moving mechanism 116, asubstrate-movement driving unit 117, a container 118, and an applicationmechanism 119.

The light source 110 emits ultraviolet light L by which a photo-curingagent is cured. The template holding units 112 hold the template 10. Thelift mechanisms 113 are provided to correspond to the template holdingunits 112, respectively, and raise and lower the template 10 in anup-and-down direction (direction of arrows Y1 in FIG. 2) by raising andlowering the template holding units 112. The substrate holding unit 115holds the substrate 21. The substrate moving mechanism 116 moves thesubstrate 21 in a horizontal direction (direction of an arrow Y2 in FIG.2) by moving the substrate holding unit 115. The substrate-movementdriving unit 117 drives the substrate moving mechanism 116. Thecontainer 118 holds a photo-curing agent to be applied to the surface ofthe substrate 21. The application mechanism 119 applies the photo-curingagent in the container 118 to a shot of a pattern transfer target in thesubstrate 21. The template holding units 112 hold the template 10 sothat the formation surface of the projection and recess pattern 11p ofthe template 10 faces the pattern formation target surface of thesubstrate 21 in parallel.

The control unit 103 controls the operation process of eachconfiguration unit of the nanoimprint apparatus 101. The input unit 104inputs instruction information on the process operation of thenanoimprint apparatus 101. The output unit 105 outputs the processinformation on the nanoimprint apparatus 101.

The measuring unit 106 measures a shape parameter for evaluatinguniformity of the shape of the projection and recess pattern 11p of thetemplate 10. The measuring unit 106 measures a recess portion dimension,a sidewall angle, and an engraving amount in the projection and recesspattern 11p as the shape parameters. The recess portion dimension is awidth of the upper portion of the recess portion of the projection andrecess pattern 11p. The sidewall angle is an angle formed by thesidewall surface of the recess portion of the projection and recesspattern 11p and the main surface of the template 10. The engravingamount is a depth of the recess portion of the projection and recesspattern 11p. The distribution calculating unit 107 calculatesdistribution information representing the distribution of the shape ofthe projection and recess pattern 11p based on the measurement result ofthe parameter in the measuring unit 106. The application-amountcalculating unit 108 calculates the droplet amount of the photo-curingagent to each position onto a processing target layer based on thecalculation result in the distribution calculating unit 107.

Next, a nanoimprint method and a processing method using the nanoimprintapparatus 101 are explained. First, the measuring unit 106 measures therecess portion dimension of the recess portion of the projection andrecess pattern 11p as the shape parameter. Then, the distributioncalculating unit 107 calculates the distribution information on therecess portion dimension of the projection and recess pattern 11p basedon the measurement result in the measuring unit 106.

FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating one example of the distributioninformation on the recess portion dimension in the surface of thepattern area PA calculated by the distribution calculating unit 107based on the measurement result of the recess portion dimension of theprojection and recess pattern 11p in the measuring unit 106. In FIG. 3,a width of an ellipse or an elliptical ring-shaped area indicates therecess portion dimension. In the example shown in FIG. 3, the recessportion dimension in the surface of the pattern area PA has a concentricdistribution. In other words, the width of the recess portion (space) inthe L/S projection and recess pattern 11p is wide in the central area inthe surface of the pattern area PA and is gradually narrowed toward theoutside. The recess portion becomes a projection portion on thesubstrate 21 on which a pattern is formed by the NIL using this template10.

On the other hand, the distribution information on the sidewall angleand the distribution information on the engraving amount in the surfaceof the pattern area PA are obtained in the similar manner to FIG. 3based on the measurement result of the sidewall angle and the engravingamount of the projection and recess pattern 11p formed on the quartzsubstrate 11 (not shown). For the sidewall angle and the engravingamount, the distribution in the surface of the pattern area PA isrelatively uniform. Therefore, it is estimated that the dimensiondistribution in the surface of the pattern area PA is attributed to thedevelopment process after the EB writing. In other words, the dimensionvariation of the sidewall angle and the engraving amount depends on theanisotropic etching process (see FIG. 1E) of the quartz substrate 11with the Or film pattern 12p as an etching mask. If the distribution ofthe sidewall angle and the engraving amount is relatively constant,variation (distribution) in recess portion dimension of the projectionand recess pattern 11p is estimated to be caused by the developmentafter the EB writing.

Next, the application-amount calculating unit 108 calculates the dropletamount of the photo-curing agent at each position in one shot (singleimprint area) to the processing target layer on which a pattern isformed by the NIL, based on the shape information (distributioninformation on the shape parameter), and determines application amountinformation (distribution information) that is information on thedroplet amount of the photo-curing agent. The application-amountcalculating unit 108 can determine the application amount information(distribution information) based on the shape distribution information(distribution information on the shape parameter) on the projection andrecess pattern 11p by pre-storing correspondence information on the typeof a photo-curing agent 23, the shape of the projection and recesspattern 11p, the material of the processing target layer, conditionssuch as an etching condition of the processing target layer, and thedroplet amount of the photo-curing agent.

FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating one example of the application amountinformation (distribution information) calculated by theapplication-amount calculating unit 108 based on the distributioninformation on the recess portion dimension calculated by thedistribution calculating unit 107. FIG. 4 illustrates application-amountdistribution information indicating the distribution of the dropletamount of the photo-curing agent corresponding to the distribution ofthe recess portion dimension illustrated in FIG. 3, in which the size ofa circle indicates the droplet amount of the photo-curing agent. In theexample shown in FIG. 4, the droplet amount of the photo-curing agent isdetermined to be small in the central portion in one shot and becomesgradually larger toward the outside. In other words, the droplet amountof the photo-curing agent has a concentric distribution corresponding tothe distribution of the dimension illustrated in FIG. 3. In the presentembodiment, the droplet amount of the photo-curing agent is small in aportion in which the recess portion dimension in the projection andrecess pattern 11p is large and is large in a portion in which therecess portion dimension in the projection and recess pattern 11p issmall. Consequently, the RLT in the subsequent process can beintentionally controlled.

Next, the template 10 is held by the template holding units 112 and thetemplate holding units 112 are raised and lowered by using the liftmechanisms 113 to arrange the template 10 at a predetermined standbyposition. Moreover, the substrate 21 is held by the substrate holdingunit 115 and the substrate holding unit 115 is moved by using thesubstrate moving mechanism 116 to arrange the substrate 21 at apredetermined position. Then, the application mechanism 119 applies thephoto-curing agent 23 in one shot on a processing target layer 22 on thesubstrate 21 held by the substrate holding unit 115 based on theapplication amount information (distribution information) by the controlof the control unit 103. The photo-curing agent 23 is applied such thatthe application amount is small in the central portion in the patternarea PA and becomes larger toward the outside based on theabove-described application amount information (distributioninformation).

Next, the substrate moving mechanism 116 moves the substrate holdingunit 115 to arrange the substrate 21 at a predetermined position so thatthe formation surface of the projection and recess pattern 11p faces thepattern formation target surface of the substrate 21 in parallel (FIG.5A). FIG. 5A to FIG. 5F are cross-sectional views schematicallyillustrating the imprint method and the processing method using thenanoimprint apparatus 101.

Next, the template 10 is lowered as indicated by the arrows Y1 bylowering the template holding units 112 by the lift mechanisms 113,whereby the formation surface of the projection and recess pattern 11pof the template 10 is brought into contact with the photo-curing agent23 on the processing target layer 22 on the substrate 21 (FIG. 5B).After the template 10 comes into contact with the photo-curing agent 23,the driving of the lift mechanisms 113 is released and the template 10is lowered by its own weight. When the template 10 is moved closer tothe photo-curing agent 23, the photo-curing agent 23 enters into theprojection and recess pattern 11p of the template 10 by capillaryaction. In this process, the template 10 is warped in accordance withthe droplet amount of the photo-curing agent 23 to ensure an equilibriumstate between the lowering of the template 10 by gravity and an upwardforce of the photo-curing agent 23 by capillary action at each positionas illustrated in FIG. 5B.

In this state, the photo-curing agent 23 is irradiated with theultraviolet light L via the template 10 by the light source 110, so thatthe photo-curing agent 23 is cured. After the photo-curing agent 23 issufficiently cured to become resist, the lift mechanisms 113 raise thetemplate holding units 112 to raise the template 10 (FIG. 5C).Consequently, an L/S resist pattern 23p on which the shape of theprojection and recess pattern 11p of the template 10 is transferred isformed on the processing target layer 22 of the substrate 21. The resistremains also in the recess portion (space) of the resist pattern 23p. Inthe film thickness (RLT) of the residual portion of the recess portion(space) of this resist pattern 23p, the distribution of the RLT occursin an in-plane direction of the substrate 21. The RLT becomes thick inthe outside area in one shot in which the droplet amount of thephoto-curing agent 23 is large. On the other hand, the RLT becomes thinin the inside (central) area in one shot in which the droplet amount ofthe photo-curing agent 23 is small. Therefore, the height of theprojection portion of the resist pattern 23p from the surface of theprocessing target layer 22 becomes large in the outside area in one shotcompared to the inside (central) area in one shot by the difference ofthe RLT.

Next, the substrate 21 is conveyed from the nanoimprint apparatus 101and the anisotropic etching, for example, by a dry etching is performedon the processing target layer 22 with the resist pattern 23p as anetching mask. In the initial stage of the anisotropic etching, in theinside (central) area in one shot in which the RLT is thin, the resistpattern 23p is etched and thus the height thereof becomes low. Theresidual portion of the recess portion of the resist pattern 23p iseliminated by etching. Moreover, in the outside area in one shot inwhich the RLT is thick, the resist pattern 23p is etched and thus theheight thereof becomes low, and the residual portion of the recessportion of the resist pattern 23p is etched and thus the RLT becomesthin, however, the residual portion remains (FIG. 5D).

When etching further proceeds, in the inside (central) area in one shotin which the RLT is thin, the anisotropic etching is performed on theprocessing target layer 22 with the resist pattern 23p as an etchingmask, whereby the processing target layer 22 is processed into a shapein which the pattern of the resist pattern 23p is transferred. At thispoint of time, in the inside (central) area in one shot in which the RLTis thin, the recess portion of the pattern of the processing targetlayer 22 is etched and is eliminated. Moreover, in the outside area inone shot in which the RLT is thick, the anisotropic etching is performedon the processing target layer 22 with the resist pattern 23p as anetching mask, whereby the processing target layer 22 is processed into ashape in which the pattern of the resist pattern 23p is transferred. Atthis point of time, in the outside area in one shot in which the RLT isthick, the resist pattern 23p remains and the recess portion of thepattern of the processing target layer 22 still remains (FIG. 5E).

When etching further proceeds, in the inside (central) area in one shotin which the RLT is thin, etching to the processing target layer 22proceeds in a lateral direction and the processing target layer 22 isprocessed until the width of the pattern thereof becomes thin to apredetermined width. Moreover, in the outside area in one shot in whichthe RLT is thick, the processing target layer 22 is processed into ashape in which the pattern of the resist pattern 23p is transferred andthe recess portion of the pattern of the processing target layer 22 iseliminated (FIG. 5F). Consequently, in the inside (central) area in oneshot and the outside area in one shot, a processing target layer pattern22p having a uniform dimension same as the dimension of the resistpattern 23p in the outside area in one shot is obtained. In this manner,in the inside (central) area in one shot, a processing conversiondifference (difference between the dimension of the resist pattern 23pand the dimension of the processing target layer pattern 22p afterprocessing) becomes large. In other words, although the processingconversion difference is different depending on the inside (central)area in one shot in accordance with the RLT, the dimension of theprocessing target layer pattern 22p after processing finally becomes auniform dimension same as the dimension of the resist pattern 23p in theoutside area in one shot as illustrated in FIG. 5F.

The RLT is considered to largely depend on the droplet amount of thephoto-curing agent and the pattern coverage. When the pattern coverageis the same, the RLT becomes thick as the droplet amount becomes large,and when the droplet amount is the same, the RLT becomes thin as thecoverage (area in which the photo-curing agent needs to be dropped) ishigh. Typically, in the case of dropping the photo-curing agent by theinkjet method, a head including a plurality of droplet portions that canbe individually controlled is used. When the coverage changes in thesurface of the template, the droplet amount is adjusted for eachlocation to uniform the RLT.

However, in the above described first embodiment, in one shot of theprocessing target layer 22, in the area corresponding to the portion(portion in which the projection portion of the resist pattern 23pbecomes wide) in which the width of the recess portion (space) in theprojection and recess pattern 11p is wide, the droplet amount of thephoto-curing agent 23 is reduced to thin the RLT. Moreover, in one shotin the processing target layer 22, in the area corresponding to theportion (portion in which the projection portion of the resist pattern23p becomes narrow) in which the width of the recess portion (space) inthe projection and recess pattern 11p is narrow, the droplet amount ofthe photo-curing agent 23 is increased to thicken the RLT.

In the area (portion in which the projection portion of the resistpattern 23p becomes wide) in which the RLT is thin, after etching of theprocessing target layer 22 proceeds and the RLT is eliminated, theetching proceeds in a lateral direction on the projection pattern of theprocessing target layer 22 and the projection pattern of the processingtarget layer 22 is processed so that the width thereof become apredetermined width. Therefore, it is possible to process the resistpattern 23p that is formed wide to be thin and finish the resist pattern23p to have a width same as the resist pattern 23p that is formednarrow. It is possible to set so that the width of the resist pattern23p that is formed wide and the width of the resist pattern 23p that isformed narrow are the same at the time when processing of the resistpattern 23p that is formed narrow is finished by pre-storing thecorrespondence information on the type of the photo-curing agent 23, theshape of the projection and recess pattern 11p, the material of theprocessing target layer 22, conditions such as the etching condition ofthe processing target layer 22, and the droplet amount of thephoto-curing agent and setting an appropriate RLT based thereon.

According to the above described first embodiment, the resist pattern23p is formed so that the RLT is intentionally made different for eacharea in one shot of the processing target layer 22 by adjusting theapplication amount of the photo-curing agent 23 for each area in oneshot based on the shape distribution of the projection and recesspattern 11p formed on the template 10. Consequently, it becomes possibleto control the processing conversion difference for each area in oneshot of the processing target layer 22, i.e., difference between thedimension of the resist pattern 23p and the dimension of the processingtarget layer pattern 22p after processing and to form the processingtarget layer pattern 22p having a uniform dimension in the whole area inone shot.

In the above explanation, the case of using one template 10 isexplained, however, actually, a plurality of the templates 10 is held bythe template holding units 112 to correspond to the whole surface of theprocessing target layer 22. Moreover, in the similar manner to thenormal photolithography, the nanoimprint is repeated by the step andrepeat.

Moreover, it is applicable to process the substrate 21 of the lowerlayer by using the processing target layer pattern 22p formed in thefirst embodiment. Consequently, it is possible to form a pattern havinga uniform dimension on the substrate 21 in the whole area of one shot.

(Second Embodiment)

In the second embodiment, the case is explained in which each of therecess portion dimension and the engraving amount among the shapeparameters has an approximately uniform distribution in the surface ofthe pattern area PA and the sidewall angle has a distribution in thesurface of the pattern area PA. A series of processes from themanufacturing of the template 10 to the processing of the processingtarget layer 22 are basically the same as the first embodiment.Therefore, only characteristic portions of the second embodiment areexplained below.

FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating one example of the distributioninformation on the sidewall angle in the surface of the pattern area PAcalculated by the distribution calculating unit 107 based on themeasurement result of the sidewall angle of the projection and recesspattern 11p by the measuring unit 106. In FIG. 6, the width betweendiagonal lines indicates a degree of a sidewall angle α. Moreover, FIG.6 illustrates the distribution of the state same as the state in whichthe template 10 is set in the nanoimprint apparatus 101, i.e., thedistribution of the state when viewed from the opposite side of thesurface on which the projection and recess pattern 11p is formed. InFIG. 6, the difference in thickness of the width between diagonal linesis emphatically illustrated for easy understanding. In the example shownin FIG. 6, the sidewall angle α is 90° in the lower left area in thesurface of the pattern area PA and is 80° in the upper right area in thesurface of the pattern area PA, and the distribution is such that thesidewall angle α becomes small toward the upper right area from thelower left area in the surface of the pattern area PA. The recessportion becomes a projection portion on the substrate 21 on which apattern is formed by the NIL using this template 10.

The application-amount calculating unit 108 calculates the dropletamount of the photo-curing agent 23 at each position in one shot ontothe processing target layer 22 based on the shape distributioninformation (distribution information on the shape parameter) anddetermines the application amount information (distribution information)that is information on the droplet amount of the photo-curing agent 23.

FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating one example of the application amountinformation (distribution information) calculated by theapplication-amount calculating unit 108 based on the distributioninformation on the sidewall angle calculated by the distributioncalculating unit 107. FIG. 7 illustrates application-amount distributioninformation indicating the distribution of the droplet amount of thephoto-curing agent 23 corresponding to the distribution of the sidewallangle illustrated in FIG. 6, in which the size of a circle indicates thedroplet amount of the photo-curing agent 23. In the example in FIG. 7,the droplet amount of the photo-curing agent 23 is determined to besmall in the lower left portion in one shot and becomes larger towardthe upper right side. In other words, the droplet amount of thephoto-curing agent 23 has a distribution corresponding to thedistribution of the sidewall angle illustrated in FIG. 6.

FIG. 8A and FIG. 8B are schematic diagrams illustrating the shape of theprojection and recess pattern 11p on the template 10. As shown in FIG.8A, in the lower left area in the surface of the pattern area PA, thesidewall angle α is 90°. As shown in FIG. 8B, in the upper right area inthe surface of the pattern area PA, the sidewall angle α is 80°.Moreover, a recess portion dimension A of the projection and recesspattern 11p in the lower left area in the surface of the pattern area PAillustrated in FIG. 8A and a recess portion dimension B of theprojection and recess pattern 11p in the upper right area in the surfaceof the pattern area PA illustrated in FIG. 8B are the same.

FIG. 9A and FIG. 9B are cross-sectional views illustrating the statewhere the resist pattern 23p is formed on the processing target layer 22of the substrate 21, which corresponds to the process in FIG. 5C. FIG.9A illustrates a cross section of the resist pattern 23p in the lowerleft area in one shot, which is formed by the projection and recesspattern 11p illustrated in FIG. 8A. FIG. 9B illustrates a cross sectionof the resist pattern 23p in the upper right area in one shot, which isformed by the projection and recess pattern 11p illustrated in FIG. 8B.In the lower left portion in one shot in which the droplet amount of thephoto-curing agent 23 is small, the RLT is thin. On the other hand, inthe upper right portion in one shot in which the droplet amount of thephoto-curing agent 23 is large, the RLT is thick.

FIG. 10A and FIG. 10B are cross-sectional views illustrating an initialstage of the anisotropic etching to the processing target layer 22,which corresponds to the process in FIG. 5D. FIG. 10A illustrates across section of the resist pattern 23p in the lower left area in oneshot, which corresponds to FIG. 9A. FIG. 10B illustrates a cross sectionof the resist pattern 23p in the upper right area in one shot, whichcorresponds to FIG. 9B.

When the anisotropic etching is performed, the etching proceeds in alateral direction in the portion in the upper right portion in thepattern area PA in which the sidewall of the resist pattern 23p istilted. Therefore, a projection portion dimension a of the resistpattern 23p illustrated in FIG. 10A and a projection portion dimension bof the resist pattern 23p illustrated in FIG. 10B do not become thesame. In other words, the projection portion dimension b illustrated inFIG. 10B becomes smaller than the projection portion dimension aillustrated in FIG. 10A, and thus a large processing conversiondifference is generated.

On the other hand, in the lower left portion in the pattern area PA inwhich the RLT is thin, etching proceeds in a lateral direction as theanisotropic etching proceeds in the similar manner to the firstembodiment and the processing target layer 22 is processed until thewidth of the pattern thereof becomes thin to a predetermined width, sothat a large processing conversion difference is generated. Therefore,finally, the dimension of the processing target layer pattern 22p afterprocessing becomes uniform in the lower left area and the upper rightarea in one shot in the similar manner to the first embodiment.

According to the above described second embodiment, the resist pattern23p is formed so that the RLT is intentionally made different for eacharea in one shot of the processing target layer 22 by adjusting theapplication amount of the photo-curing agent 23 for each area in oneshot based on the shape distribution of the projection and recesspattern 11p formed on the template 10 in the similar manner to the firstembodiment. Consequently, it becomes possible to control the processingconversion difference for each area in one shot of the processing targetlayer 22, i.e., difference between the dimension of the resist pattern23p and the dimension of the processing target layer pattern 22p afterprocessing and therefore to form the processing target layer pattern 22phaving a uniform dimension in the whole area in one shot.

Moreover, it is applicable to process the substrate 21 on the lowerlayer by using the processing target layer pattern 22p formed in thesecond embodiment. Consequently, it is possible to form a pattern havinga uniform dimension on the substrate 21 in the whole area of one shot.

(Third Embodiment)

FIG. 11 is a diagram schematically illustrating a flow of performing apattern formation of a process target substrate by the NIL using amaster template and a replica template according to the thirdembodiment. In the above described first embodiment and secondembodiment, the method is illustrated in which the processing targetlayer pattern 22p whose dimension is uniform in all area in one shot isobtained by adjusting the RLT at the time of the pattern transfer to theprocessing target layer 22 from the template 10.

In the nanoimprint method, the life of the template is limited.Therefore, a method is known in which, first, a master template 200 ismanufactured in advance as illustrated in FIG. 11, a replica template201 is manufactured from the master template 200 by the imprint method,and the pattern formation of a process target substrate 202 is performedby using this replica template 201.

However, variation in pattern dimension on the template occurs also inthe master template 200. Therefore, when manufacturing the replicatemplate 201 from the master template 200, the RLT is adjusted in thesimilar manner to the first embodiment and the second embodiment, sothat the high quality replica template 201 on which the processedpattern having a uniform dimension is formed in the pattern area surfacecan be manufactured. Then, the nanoimprint is performed by using thisreplica template 201, so that the processing target layer pattern havinga uniform dimension can be obtained. Moreover, in this case, it isapplicable to adjust the RLT again and perform the nanoimprint.

(Fourth Embodiment)

In the above described first embodiment and second embodiment, the shapedistribution information (distribution information on the shapeparameter) on the template 10 that is obtained in advance is reflectedin the recipe generation of the droplet amount of the photo-curing agent23, which can be called a feedforward control.

On the other hand, it is also possible to perform a feedback control ofactually measuring the dimension of the processed pattern formed on theprocess target substrate 202 as illustrated in FIG. 12 and changing therecipe of the droplet amount of the photo-curing agent so that thedimension variation of the processed pattern is eliminated based on thisactually-measured dimension of the processed pattern. FIG. 12 is aflowchart illustrating a flow of the feedback control using the shapedistribution information (distribution information on the shapeparameter) of the template 10.

Specifically, first, the template manufacturing process as explained inthe first embodiment is performed (Step S110). Next, as explained in thefirst embodiment and the second embodiment, the droplet recipe of thephoto-curing agent is generated based on the shape distributioninformation on the template 10 (Step S120). Next, the nanoimprint asexplained in the first embodiment is performed (Step S130). Next,etching of the processing target layer as explained in the firstembodiment is performed (Step S140).

Next, the dimension of the processed pattern of the formed processingtarget layer is measured (Step S150). Then, returning to Step S120, therecipe of the droplet amount of the photo-curing agent is generatedagain based on this measured dimension of the processed pattern so thatthe dimension variation from the design dimension of the processedpattern is eliminated. For the substrate on which the nanoimprint is,performed thereafter, after Step S140, the system control can proceed tothe next process without performing the dimension measurement at StepS150 (Step S160).

The processed pattern having a uniform dimension can be formed even byperforming such feedback control in the similar manner to the firstembodiment and the second embodiment. In this case, it is possible tosuppress the dimension variation in not only a shot but also betweenshots. In other words, in this case, it is sufficient that the dropletamount distribution in the template is changed for each shot.

While certain embodiments have been described, these embodiments havebeen presented by way of example only, and are not intended to limit thescope of the inventions. Indeed, the novel embodiments described hereinmay be embodied in a variety of other forms; furthermore, variousomissions, substitutions and changes in the form of the embodimentsdescribed herein may be made without departing from the spirit of theinventions. The accompanying claims and their equivalents are intendedto cover such forms or modifications as would fall within the scope andspirit of the inventions.

What is claimed is:
 1. A processing method comprising: measuring arecess portion shape of a first projection and recess pattern formed ona surface of a template; calculating a distribution of the recessportion shape based on a measurement result of the recess portion shape;calculating a distribution of an application amount of a curing agent toa first processing target layer based on the distribution of the recessportion shape; applying the curing agent to the first processing targetlayer based on the distribution of the application amount of the curingagent to have a distribution of the application amount of the curingagent in a direction of the plane of the first processing target layer;forming a second projection and recess pattern by transferring the firstprojection and recess pattern onto the curing agent by causing thecuring agent to cure in a state where the first projection and recesspattern is in contact with the curing agent; separating the firstprojection and recess pattern from the cured curing agent; forming athird projection and recess pattern by processing the first processingtarget layer with the second projection and recess pattern as a mask;and calculating a distribution of an application amount of a curingagent to a second processing target layer based on the distribution of arecess portion shape of the third projection and recess pattern.
 2. Theprocessing method according to claim 1, wherein the recess portion shapeincludes at least one of a width dimension of a recess portion of thefirst projection and recess pattern, a sidewall angle of a recessportion of the first projection and recess pattern, and a depth of arecess portion of the first projection and recess pattern.
 3. Theprocessing method according to claim 1, wherein the curing agent is aphoto-curing agent.
 4. A processing method used in manufacturingsemiconductor devices, the method comprising: determining a firstdistribution amount of a curing agent based on a distribution of one ormore first recess portion shapes that are associated with a firstpattern; applying the curing agent to a first processing target layerbased on the first distribution amount of the curing agent in adirection of the plane of the first processing target layer; obtaining asecond pattern based on the first pattern; obtaining a third pattern inthe first processing target layer using the second pattern as a mask;and determining a second distribution amount of a curing agent for asecond processing target layer based on a distribution of one or moresecond recess portion shapes associated with the third pattern.
 5. Themethod according to claim 4, further comprising, before determining thefirst distribution amount of the curing agent: obtaining the one or morefirst recess portion shapes that are associated with the first pattern,the first pattern being associated with a template; and determining,based on the one or more first recess portion shapes, the distributionof the one or more first recess portion shapes that are associated withthe first pattern.
 6. The method according to claim 4, wherein the oneor more recess portion shapes associated with the first pattern includeat least one of a width dimension of a recess portion, a sidewall angleof the recess portion, and a depth of the recess portion.
 7. The methodaccording to claim 4, wherein determining the first distribution amountof a curing agent comprises: determining, based on the distribution ofthe one or more first recess portion shapes that are associated with thefirst pattern, a droplet amount of the curing agent for each positioncorresponding to the first processing target layer.
 8. The methodaccording to claim 4, wherein determining the first distribution amountof a curing agent is further based on at least one of the type of thecuring agent, a shape of the first pattern, a material of the firstprocessing target layer, and one or more etching conditions associatedwith the first processing target layer.
 9. The method according to claim4, wherein applying the curing agent to the first processing targetlayer comprises applying the curing agent in one shot based on the firstdistribution amount of the curing agent.
 10. The method according toclaim 4, wherein obtaining the second pattern based on the first patterncomprises: causing a template associated with the first pattern tocontact the curing agent applied to the first processing target layer;curing the curing agent in a state where the template remains in contactwith the curing agent applied to the first processing target layer; andseparating the template from the cured curing agent to form the secondpattern.
 11. The method according to claim 10, wherein causing thetemplate to contact the curing agent applied to the first processingtarget layer comprises: moving the template associated with the firstpattern to contact the curing agent applied to the first processingtarget layer; and releasing the template such that the template cancontinue to move to a position at which capillary action causes thecuring agent to enter into the first pattern.
 12. The method accordingto claim 11, wherein the template associated with the first pattern iswarped based on the first distribution amount of the curing agent, thewarping of the template representing an equilibrium state between themoving of the template and the capillary action.
 13. The methodaccording to claim 10, wherein curing the curing agent is based onultraviolet irradiation via the template.
 14. The method according toclaim 4, wherein at least one area of the second pattern has a residuallayer thickness that is different from the residual layer thickness ofother areas of the second pattern.
 15. The method according to claim 4,wherein obtaining the third pattern in the first processing target layerusing the second pattern as a mask comprises performing at least one of:etching the second pattern to eliminate a residual layer of the secondpattern in a first area and to reduce the thickness of a residual layerof the second pattern in a second area, wherein the residual layerthickness of the residual layer in the first area is less than theresidual layer thickness of the residual layer in the second area;etching, using the etched second pattern as a mask, the first processtarget layer to obtain a shape in the first area that and a shape in thesecond area, wherein the shape in the first area has a lateral dimensionthat is different from the lateral dimension of the shape in the secondarea; and etching the shape in the first area in a lateral direction andthe shape in the second area to obtain the third pattern, wherein thethird pattern has substantially the same lateral dimensions in the firstarea and in the second area.
 16. The method according to claim 15,wherein the etching is anisotropic etching.
 17. The method according toclaim 4, wherein the first pattern is associated with a template, thetemplate being a master template or a replica template obtained using amaster template.
 18. The method according to claim 4, whereindetermining the second distribution amount of a curing agent for thesecond processing target layer comprises: obtaining the one or moresecond recess portion shapes that are associated with the third pattern;determining, based on the one or more second recess portion shapes, thedistribution of the one or more second recess portion shapes that areassociated with the third pattern; and determining the seconddistribution amount of the curing agent for the second process targetlayer based on the distribution of the one or more second recess portionshapes.
 19. The method according to claim 4, wherein the curing agent isa photo-curing agent.
 20. A processing method used in manufacturingsemiconductor devices, the method comprising: determining a firstdistribution amount of a curing agent based on a distribution of one ormore first recess portion shapes that are associated with a firstpattern; applying the curing agent to a first processing target layerbased on the first distribution amount of the curing agent in adirection of the plane of the first processing target layer; obtaining asecond pattern based on the first pattern, wherein at least one area ofthe second pattern has a residual layer thickness that is different froma residual layer thickness of other areas of the second pattern; anddetermining a second distribution amount of a curing agent for a secondprocessing target layer based on one or more shapes associated with atleast a part of the second pattern.
 21. The method according to claim20, further comprising, before determining the first distribution amountof a curing agent: obtaining the one or more first recess portion shapesthat are associated with the first pattern, the first pattern beingassociated with a template; and determining, based on the one or morefirst recess portion shapes, the distribution of the one or more firstrecess portion shapes that are associated with the first pattern. 22.The method according to claim 20, wherein the one or more recess portionshapes associated with the first pattern include at least one of a widthdimension of a recess portion, a sidewall angle of the recess portion,and a depth of the recess portion.
 23. The method according to claim 20,wherein obtaining the second pattern based on the first patterncomprises: causing a template associated with the first pattern tocontact with the curing agent applied to the first processing targetlayer; curing the curing agent such that the template remains in contactwith the curing agent applied to the first processing target layer; andseparating the template from the cured curing agent to form the secondpattern.
 24. The method according to claim 23, wherein causing thetemplate to contact the curing agent applied to the first processingtarget layer comprises: moving the template associated with the firstpattern to contact the curing agent applied to the first processingtarget layer; and releasing the template in a state that the templatecan continue to move to a position at which capillary action causes thecuring agent to enter into the first pattern.
 25. The method accordingto claim 20, further comprising: etching the second pattern to eliminatea residual layer of the second pattern in a first area and to reduce thethickness of a residual layer of the second pattern in a second area,wherein the residual layer thickness of the residual layer in the firstarea is less than the residual layer thickness of the residual layer inthe second area; etching, using the etched second pattern as a mask, thefirst process target layer to obtain a shape in the first area that anda shape in the second area, wherein the shape in the first area has alateral dimension that is different from the lateral dimension of theshape in the second area; and etching the shape in the first area in alateral direction and the shape in the second area to obtain a thirdpattern, wherein the third pattern has substantially the same lateraldimensions in the first area and in the second area.
 26. The methodaccording to claim 20, wherein determining the first distribution amountof a curing agent comprises: determining, based on the distribution ofthe one or more first recess portion shapes that are associated with thefirst pattern, a droplet amount of the curing agent for each positioncorresponding to the first processing target layer.
 27. The methodaccording to claim 20, wherein determining the first distribution amountof a curing agent is further based on at least one of the type of thecuring agent, a shape of the first pattern, a material of the firstprocessing target layer, and one or more etching conditions associatedwith the first processing target layer.
 28. The method according toclaim 20, wherein applying the curing agent to the first processingtarget layer comprises applying the curing agent in one shot based onthe first distribution amount of the curing agent.
 29. The methodaccording to claim 20, wherein obtaining the second pattern based on thefirst pattern comprises: causing a template associated with the firstpattern to contact the curing agent applied to the first processingtarget layer; curing the curing agent in a state where the templateremains in contact with the curing agent applied to the first processingtarget layer; and separating the template from the cured curing agent toform the second pattern.
 30. The method according to claim 24, whereinthe template associated with the first pattern is warped based on thefirst distribution amount of the curing agent, the warping of thetemplate representing an equilibrium state between the moving of thetemplate and the capillary action.
 31. The method according to claim 29,wherein curing the curing agent is based on ultraviolet irradiation viathe template.
 32. The method according to claim 20, wherein at least onearea of the second pattern has a residual layer thickness that isdifferent from the residual layer thickness of other areas of the secondpattern.
 33. The method according to claim 25, wherein the etching isanisotropic etching.
 34. The method according to claim 20, wherein thefirst pattern is associated with a template, the template being a mastertemplate or a replica template obtained using a master template.
 35. Themethod according to claim 20, wherein determining the seconddistribution amount of a curing agent for the second processing targetlayer comprises: obtaining a third pattern in the first processingtarget layer using the second pattern as a mask; obtaining one or moresecond recess portion shapes that are associated with the third pattern;determining, based on the one or more second recess portion shapes, adistribution of the one or more second recess portion shapes that areassociated with the third pattern; and determining the seconddistribution amount of the curing agent for the second process targetlayer based on the distribution of the one or more second recess portionshapes.
 36. The method according to claim 20, wherein the curing agentis a photo-curing agent.